Sport can be unpredictable, but the winners of the 2015 Rugby World Cup will almost certainly come from one of just five or six nations. I doubt the new 2015 ERC Resuscitation guidelines will provide us with too many surprises either, and neither should they. The ILCORScientific Evidence Evaluation and Review System (SEERS) and Consensus on Resuscitation Science and Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR), from which new guidelines are eventually developed, is a process that should ensure the right questions are asked, the relevant evidence is gathered and reviewed and a consensus on the science is obtained before any treatment recommendations are made. New guidelines then follow.

The ILCOR web-site provides the opportunity to review the current status of the PICO questions. In the Advanced Life Support (ALS) section, two questions in particular caught my attention:

Advanced airway placement (ETT v SGA)

Among adults who are in cardiac arrest in any setting (P), does tracheal tube insertion as first advanced airway (I), compared with insertion of a supraglottic airway as first advanced airway (C), change ROSC, CPR parameters, development of aspiration pneumonia, Survival with Favourable neurological/functional outcome at discharge, 30 days, 60 days, 180 days AND/OR 1 year, Survival only at discharge, 30 days, 60 days, 180 days AND/OR 1 year (O)?

‘…whilst there appears to be very little new published data, passive oxygenation remains a subject of lively debate in resuscitation circles and is often mentioned in articles reviewing ventilation strategies and airway management in cardiac arrest. Before it slips from view due to a lack of new evidence, it is hoped a new wave of studies are already in progress and will soon emerge as peer reviewed published studies in the near future, enabling a more conclusive assessment to be made as to whether passive oxygenation has a useful role to play during CPR. Without doubt, at the present time, the jury remains out.’

I will be interested to see the conclusions from the SEERS/CoSTR process on this very interesting subject.

There are many other questions of interest in the ALS and BLS sections, as well as in the Neonatal, Paediatric and Education sections, including use of Impedance Threshold Devices, Induced Hypothermia and Exhaled CO2 detection and esophageal detection devices.

As a big sports fan, I am looking forward to both the European Games and the Rugby World Cup, as well as the Cricket World Cup. However, even these major upcoming sporting events are not anticipated with quite the same excitement as Resuscitation 2015 – The Guidelines Conference! I just can’t wait!

High level evidence is also required for ETT v SAD. The AIRWAYS #2 study should provide us with some answers, but the results are not expected to be published until 2019. The protocol for AIRWAYS #2 can be read on the UK NHS National Institute for Health Research site at: http://www.nets.nihr.ac.uk/projects/hta/12167102 A similar type of study for ALS v BLS would be most welcome.